Pan-seared lamb | Jamie Oliver simple lamb recipe (2024)

FAQs

Pan-seared lamb | Jamie Oliver simple lamb recipe? ›

Meanwhile, rub the lamb all over with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Starting fat side down, sear the lamb in a non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat for 10 minutes, turning regularly until gnarly all over but blushing in the middle, or use your instincts to cook to your liking.

Fattier cuts of lamb should be roasted long and slow at a low temperature, while leaner cuts of meat should be cooked at a high temperature for the first several minutes and then at a lower temperature the rest of the time. Braising is a popular technique for cooking less-tender cuts of lamb.

And when you have a gorgeous cut, like a rack of lamb, you can cook it the good ol' Gordon Ramsay way—which is to say, lightly pan-sear it first, then baste it with an herby, garlicky butter, and finally finish it off in the oven until it's still pink and juicy in the middle. It comes out perfectly every time.

Should I marinate lamb leg before cooking? You do not need to marinate lamb leg for long hours if you don't have the time. But first, make sure you season the lamb well with kosher salt and black pepper.

For the perfect roast lamb, we recommend seasoning the surface of the meat, and then searing it, especially fat side down in a pan before roasting. Why bother with searing? Contrary to some stories, searing is less about locking in moisture, and all about improving the flavour!

Slow-cooking lamb

Slow cooking in liquid transforms tougher cuts of lamb into fork-tender meat. Neck, shoulder and belly, either diced or as whole joints, are the best cuts for slow cooking and need to be cooked for at least 2 hrs at 150C to soften the meat.

The Middle Eastern za'atar spice blend of dried thyme, oregano, sumac, and sesame seeds plays well with the natural flavour of lamb.

Lower temp = more succulent meat – Tough cuts like lamb shoulder need slow-cooking to tenderise them.

Add beef broth/stock and water into the pan (keeps everything all nice and moist + makes pan juices for gravy), cover then slow roast for 5 hours until tender and fall apart. For an incredible hands-off version of this slow roast leg of lamb, try the Slow Cooker Roast Lamb!

Tenderising lamb meat

Baking soda / bi-carb and cornflour/cornstarch are the secret ingredients that tenderise the lamb meat.

Do I rinse marinade off lamb? ›

Before Cooking

It is suggested that after you have marinated meat for a length of time – you should wash it off prior to cooking.

Temperature is by far the most critical aspect of cooking lamb chops. Undercooking even tender lamb chops can render them unpleasantly chewy, while overcooking will lead to tough, dried-out meat. Rib chops should be cooked to about 130°F, while loin chops are better at 135°F or even 140°F.

Before you begin the cooking process, be sure to remove your lamb from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This helps to ensure that the lamb cooks evenly and that you get an accurate temperature reading.

Roast lamb cooking tips

Baste the meat 2-3 times during cooking. Using a turkey baster or a large spoon, scoop the juices up from the corner of the pan, and drizzle back over the top of the joint.

Information. Cook all raw lamb steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145° F (62.8° C) as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming.

According to the American Lamb Council, Americans prefer lamb that is cooked medium rather than rare or well done. But doneness is a matter of personal preference. The French, for instance, prefer rare lamb, whereas Greeks enjoy lamb well done, almost falling from the bone.

How to cook it: Roast a bone-in leg whole as a holiday centerpiece to feed a crowd; butterfly, rub, or marinate it aggressively and grill it to make gyros or smoke it for tacos. For sirloin steaks and roasts, sear and then roast the lamb to make sure it stays juicy. Use cubes to make stew, kebabs, or stir-fries.

The lamb in the slow-cooker was juicier than that from the oven, but lacked the oven lamb's exterior crispy bits (we love crispy bits). The solution was to take the vegetables and lamb from the slow cooker and run them under the broiler to crisp things up a bit. We'd eat either version again in a heartbeat.